Artists involved in the African American Master Artists In Residence Program at Northeastern University charge that on Sunday the Boston school locked artists out of the building the four-decade program has long occupied in Jamaica Plain, and is trying to push the artists out of the place.<\/p>\n
On June 28, Maria Cimilluca, a Northeastern vice president for facilities, sent a letter to artists in the program, which is affiliated with the school\u2019s Department of African American Studies, ordering them to move out of program studios at 76 Atherton St. by July 13 \u201cbecause of hazardous conditions\u201d in the building. (Read: Cimilluca’s full letter.<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u201cRecent patrols and inspections have revealed increasing safety and security concerns,\u201d Cimilluca wrote. \u201cNortheastern received an engineering report from an outside firm that lists significant structural, electrical, and other hazardous conditions that currently exist within the building; some of these conditions have been created\/exacerbated by the occupants.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt really caught us off guard,\u201d says Don West, a photographer who has been one of the program\u2019s artists for more than 20 years. \u201cIt came out of the blue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no prior discussion for this to happen,\u201d says fiber artist L’Merchie Frazier, who has had a studio in the building as part of the program for more than 10 years. Artists say the school has not offered them any alternative space to use during the repairs. \u201c\u2026.The idea that this building is being declared unsafe has to do with them taking the building to do what they want to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey may be playing smaller games to get rid of us,\u201d West says. \u201c\u2026This is really a front on attack on us right now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight now we have to be focused on making the space safe,\u201d Renata Nyul, a vice president of communications at Northeastern University, told me via email Monday. \u201cThat is our number one priority. (I’m sure you recall the tragedy in Oakland that resulted in dozens of lives lost.)\u201d<\/p>\n Monday afternoon, I asked Nyul via email: Is there a timeline for when Northeastern plans to complete the repairs? And is Northeastern going to have AAMARP move back into the building after the building repairs are made? I\u2019m awaiting a response.<\/p>\n \u201cThis process with this institution is one that is bankrupt and corrupt if it does not recognize the work, labor, strength of the people who have put in the time and energy displaying the community, the people in it,\u201d longtime Boston activist and politician Mel King said at a press conference artists held at the building Sunday evening. (See video below.) He said he\u2019s called the office of the president of Northeastern and the school\u2019s lawyer. \u201cI wanted them to know that we need to honor the work and the lives of the people who have made this place an incredible resource for the city and for the school. And I think people need to really understand it that you have an incredible resource that you\u2019ve put together. They didn\u2019t put it together. \u2026 The power of what you have accomplished, what you present has an impact on how we get treated in this country and how the world should work.\u201d<\/p>\n Help Wonderland keep producing our great coverage of local arts, cultures and activisms (and our great festivals) by contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And sign up for our free, weekly newsletter<\/a> so that you don’t miss any of our reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n
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